Editorial: Vote against proposal that attempts to block new bridge to Canada

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Michigan voters have been bombarded with political ads from all sides and every political persuasion. Most of this year’s political spots, with some exceptions, appear to have some connection to facts of one sort or another.

One of the most outrageous exceptions concerns the advertising by the supporters of Proposal 6, which would make it difficult to build a new bridge across the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario.

The campaign for “yes” votes for Proposal 6 is being bankrolled by Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor. Of course Moroun and his Ambassador Bridge monopoly on cross-border traffic are by definition a special interest, and he and his family have waged a ferocious battle against the New International Trade Crossing project.

However, the latest ads from the Moroun camp represent a complete distortion of the facts by suggesting Michigan taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill for the construction of the new bridge.

The record is completely clear that the federal government of Canada and the province of Ontario have promised to pay the upfront cost of building the new bridge. The Canadians are leveraging their relatively strong position in the global economy in hopes of creating an additional path for their country’s products in the larger markets in the United States and Latin America.

For the Canadians, it’s just a matter of common sense, and the state of Michigan stands to benefit from the new alliance with Canada, which builds on the decades of friendly cooperation along the border.

Moroun, however, has spent somewhere between $30 million and $40 million peddling his distortions on television.

We don’t want any one man, even a billionaire such as Moroun, to use his millions in an attempt to buy an election and block a project that will help bolster the Michigan economy by creating thousands of new jobs and opportunities.

Michigan voters should send Moroun a message by voting “no” on Proposal 6.